Abstract

People with high level spinal cord injury (SCI) suffer from both hypotension and spontaneous hypertension due to loss of supraspinal control of spinal sympathetic outflow. Few reports have addressed whether any changes occur in central regulation of blood pressure (BP) and heart rat (HR) at the supraspinal level. Central tachykinin NK-1 and NK-3 receptors are located in many cardiovascular areas in the brain and are known to modulate BP and HR. This study examined the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) effects of the selective NK-1 receptor agonist [Sar 9, Met(O 2) 11]SP (65 pmol, n = 6) and NK-3 receptor agonist senktide (650 pmol, n = 6) on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and HR before and after complete spinal cord transection at thoracic level 4 (T4). [Sar 9, Met(O 2) 11]SP evoked increases in MAP and HR which were still present 4 days after the T4 SCI. Further analysis using the β 1-adrenoceptor antagonist atenolol (10 mg kg −1) revealed an increased contribution of HR in the MAP increase after SCI. For senktide, 2 and 5 weeks after T4 SCI, the rise in MAP induced by senktide was significantly increased in magnitude and was similar to a normal response at 8 weeks. These effects were accompanied by a bradycardia, which was still present and amplified at 8 weeks. Our results reveal a transient potentiation of the senktide-mediated MAP effect and a greater contribution of the HR in MAP increase by [Sar 9, Met(O 2) 11]SP in T4 transected rats. Although the significance of these changes remains to be established. This suggest a reorganization of supraspinal mechanisms regulating BP and HR after a high level SCI. Central NK-1 and NK-3 receptors might therefore contribute to the maintenance of MAP following high thoracic SCI.